Happy New Year from USS Cobia! On New Year’s Eve we hosted an amazing New Year’s Eve Bash and blew Cobia’s whistle at midnight. Well, close to midnight at least! The boat was a little cold and the handle froze and we ended up with one loud blast. Between the whistle and the fireworks that followed we probably woke up the rest of town! Sorry neighbors!
FallWith the holidays keeping everyone pretty busy, there wasn’t much done aboard Cobia in the fall. When the volunteers were here they mainly tinkered on small projects in the engine room and in the workshop.
The Viking lube oil pump was returned in December. Vern Frahm, of Crane Engineering, took the pump apart piece-by-piece and found it to be in pretty good shape for a 71 year old pump. Some parts needed to be replaced, but Viking no longer supported our outdated pump so Crane had to machine all the new parts they needed. They cleaned the pump, put it back together, and returned it to us to be used when we fire up the engines.
Winter ProjectsIn January, Barry Hornburg finished welding the grate that now fits over the opening down to the refrigerator and freezer in the mess. Over that last few years, a number of volunteers figured out how to restore lighting to this area and now we have a grate to open it up and let visitors see what’s inside! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!
In January, Greg Miller, Ed Dowling, and Jeff Trimborn came up for a few days to work on the bow planes gear box again. While they were here they tightened the packing glands which will hopefully prevent future oil drips in the forward torpedo room.
For those not familiar with the gear box and the area it’s in, the project these guys have undertaken is not an easy one! The gear box is located in the overhead in the forward torpedo room. The deck they have to stand on is a bit precarious, because there are openings to the torpedo storage area below. And to throw in an extra obstacle there are torpedo rollers to work around. It’s not an easy job, but the volunteers are getting the job done well! Thank you for your dedication and hard work! We can’t wait to see the planes move again!
Cobia’s vs Winter: Part 2!In late December we finally purchased three aerators (Ice Eaters) to install in the area between the Riverwalk and sub. An electrician is currently working on installing new weather resistant receptacles along the Riverwalk to accommodate the new units and will also include outlets that can be used for future rentals and events on the Quarterdeck. The boxes were installed this past weekend, but they still need to be wired into the building. Once the electrical is finished and the weather warms up a bit, we should be able to install the ice eaters and test them out yet this winter. These new ice eaters will hopefully keep this area open to prevent the ice from scraping the hull or building up enough to move the boat away from the Riverwalk like it did last year.
Another good reason to prevent ice buildup is to keep the shore connections from freezing in the ice. Last year, water levels in Lake Michigan rose to their highest level in 15 years. This caused the boat to rise with the river, causing more slack in the lines. Unfortunately, the lines ended up freezing before we were able to install the aerators thanks to a week of negative temperatures. But, our Maintenance Supervisor, Paul Rutherford saved the day! He made his way out onto the moving ice to chisel the cable free and pull it up out of the water again. Late this year the cable will need to be replaced again with a stronger, more durable cable that will hold up in Wisconsin winters and hopefully with a set up that will allow movement during changes in water levels.
“Cobette” Karen Duvalle
Submarine Curator
Coming in 2015!*New USS Cobia interactive exhibit and the Freshwater Submarines exhibit opening in June!
*1st Annual Submarine Fest, July 10 – 12, 2015!
